سورة : Aal-Imran

This is a law and a general divine rule; everyone who believes in Allah (swt) must apply it and prepare to be in compliance with the command of Allah (swt) as he entered into a contract of faith with Him (swt).

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ {you who have believed}: This command is directed to those who believe in Allah (swt) and those who are certain that the matters are in the hands of Allah, Allah’s decree is enforceable, and Allah (swt) is the One Who harms and benefits, gives and withholds….. and what befalls you would not have missed you, and what missed you would not have befallen you. The believer was entrusted and commanded by Allah (swt) to be persevere and endure, remain stationed and fear Allah (swt).

To be persevere means to be patient with what is afflicted you in this worldly life, in fact, faith cannot be fulfilled without patience. That is why the Prophet (saws) said:

“Patience is half of faith”

A person is exposed to all kinds of trials in this world of the changes in which he lives, such as transition from health to disease, from strength to weakness, from youth to old age, from wealth to poverty, from life to death, from happiness to the annoyances, pains and sorrows, and everything that happens to the children of Adam, no one can evade the divine law of trial:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (1) الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

{Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent. (1) [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving} (Al-Mulk:1-2)

In this life there has to be tests, and the reward will be after this death, and patience is necessary. If you are not patient, you will not be a true believer at all. As for enduring, it means that you have to be prepared more than your enemy. Remaining stationed is not only with horses, military operation and weapons, stationed is also with science, stationed is when the person is steadfast in front of attacks related to values, morals and religion, and the believers must be aware of this divine lesson and do not make others alienate Islam because of your actions, but how could you make others alienate Islam?

1- When you do not take into account the purposes of Islamic law.

2- When you separate between rituals and purposes.

3- When you say what you don’t do.

4- And when you do evil acts, yet you pray and do the other acts of worship, but they do not prevent you from indecency and evil and do not bring you closer to Allah (swt) and more than that you offend all the other worshipers. So remaining stationed would not be with just words, but rather by steadfastness on values. There are a lot of attacks against Islam these days as a result of what happened and what is happening around us in terms of committing heinous crimes under Islamic slogans and names. So some people began repeating what the enemies wanted saying: Wherever Islam is found, there is backwardness, terrorism, murder and darkness. This is not true. Backwardness and ignorance are not related and have never connected one day to religion, but on the contrary, during a thousand years the first civilization was the Arab and Islamic civilization, and spread sciences all over the countries, so what is the relationship between religion and backwardness!! Religion encourages science and encourages the establish of civilization.

It is necessary to be scientifically advanced in order to present the true image of Islam. When we are backward, we present a dark image of our Islamic religion. When they talk, for example, about human rights, they say: Human rights came with the French Revolution, and this is a mistake. It came much earlier than that One thousand four hundred years ago, Human rights came with Islam, and unfortunately we do not teach the generations this truth, and when they talk about women’s rights, women’s rights came with Islam, and when they talk about the scientific renaissance, it came with Islam as well.

وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ {and fear Allah}: So with patience, perseverance, stationed, and steadiness, you must achieve piety.

Piety (fearing Allah) is to make a barrier between you and the Fire, and there will be no barrier between us and the Fire except by one way, which is to obey Allah (swt).

لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ {that you may be successful}: Successful here in Arabic comes from the plowing of the land to prepare it for seed, so that we can get the fruits.

The success (Falah) comes from this word, and a person will be successful if he uses perseverance, endure, remaining stationed and fear Allah (swt) as a weapon in this worldly life.

Allah (swt) mentions the faith of the People of Scripture who were patient, and here is the law of reserving the possibility. That is, there are among the People of the Scripture who believe in Allah (swt) and in what was revealed to our prophet (saws).

أُوْلَئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ {Those will have their reward with their Lord}: Those of the People of the Scripture who believed in what was revealed to the Prophet (saws). Those who could not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price of this worldly life, will have a reward with unimaginable amount because it is from Allah (swt).

إِنَّ اللّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ {Allah is swift in account}: So that a person is not deceived in this worldly life and thinks he will not be held accountable, let him know that Allah (swt) is swift in account because there are moments between your life and death, and he will be accounted for the good or bad deeds he did.

Then Allah (swt) concludes Surah (Al Imran) with this great verse:

الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْاْ {But those who feared}: Allah (swt) speaks about the essence of religion; because fearing Allah (swt) is the all the goodness and obedience of Allah (swt). This verse comes after the verse related to fire which is the final refuge of those who fought the Messenger (saws) at that time.

وَمَا عِندَ اللّهِ خَيْرٌ لِّلأَبْرَارِ {And that which is with Allah is best for the righteous.}: The righteous are those who are truthful in their covenant with their Lord.

Little enjoyment, then their final refuge is hell and a miserable resting place

As the polytheists and enemies of the religion at that time used to do, this is a small enjoyment no matter how long it takes. Because the life of the world is short, you do not measure the life of the world except by your age. For you, this world is the period of time in which you live from birth to death, regardless of the millions of years for the rest of humanity, when you die, the world is over for you. A person should not be deceived when he sees the power of the infidels, and their movement in the countries from one place to another, as Allah (swt) tells us:

لاَ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ{“Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you}: Allah (swt) says: “The work of a worker”, not: The speech of a person. The issue needs actions, Allah (swt) answered this sincere supplication of the believers who asked Allah (swt) for forgiveness and atonement of bad deeds by:

أَنِّي لاَ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى بَعْضُكُم مِّن بَعْضٍ Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female}: The answer was about an action not the speech, so there must be proof when you supplicate, action must be done, Islam does not accept speech from a person without a work, as the Prophet (saws) said:

“Faith is what settles in the heart and is confirmed by action”[1]

There must be no separation between rituals and purposes, and if rituals do not lead to goals, they will only keep you distant from Allah (swt), as the Prophet (saws) said:

“Whoever his prayer does not forbid him from shameful and wrongdoing, he will only increase his distance from Allah”[2]

“There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.”[3]

مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى {whether male or female}: There is equality; Because the female is not treated with injustice, women are honored and inviolable, and we are now at the conclusion of Surat (Al Imran) we will come directly to Surat (An-Nisa) and you will find in its verses the rights of women in Islam.

بَعْضُكُم مِّن بَعْضٍ {you are of one another.}: There are rights, duties and responsibilities, and there is equality between men and women in regards of complementarity of the roles that Allah (swt) created both of them for.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

{O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.} (Al-Hujuraat: 13)

Let not someone say: The man is preferred over the woman, or the woman is preferred over man. The preference between man and woman and between all people is only by good deeds, and it is by piety.

فَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُواْ وَأُخْرِجُواْ مِن دِيَارِهِمْ{So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes}: So there are those who are at the forefront. These are the first emigrants who were expelled from their homes and migrated from Mecca to Medina, and they were forcibly evicted from their homes.

وَأُوذُواْ فِي سَبِيلِي وَقَاتَلُواْ وَقُتِلُواْ {were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed}: The matter was only because they said: Our Lord is Allah, for that Quraysh and the polytheists fought them at that time, and they were harmed, fought and killed in the Battle of Badr and in the Battle of Uhud, and these verses came after the Battle of Uhud.

لأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلأُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ ثَوَابًا مِّن عِندِ اللّهِ {I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah,}: The reward for this action is gardens beneath which rivers flow, and heaven (Jannah) in Arabic is derived from the word which means covered up by the abundance of trees.

When Allah (swt) describes the gardens, He brings to the human mind what is related to the world of the unseen. The human mind cannot comprehend what happens after death because it has been created and prepared to receive life, but after life, things will be different, and the human mind will be different from its recent condition. In other verses, Allah (swt) says:

مَّثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ أُكُلُهَا دَآئِمٌ وِظِلُّهَا تِلْكَ عُقْبَى الَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ وَّعُقْبَى الْكَافِرِينَ النَّارُ

{The example of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised, is [that] beneath it rivers flow. Its fruit is lasting, and its shade. That is the consequence for the righteous, and the consequence for the disbelievers is the Fire.} (Ar-Ra’d: 35)

Allah (swt) comes with a close example of what humans perceive in a sensual way in the life of this world. As for the essence, man cannot know it until after death, and after he reaches to the gardens of eternity through his work and Allah’s mercies.

وَاللّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الثَّوَابِ{and Allah has with Him the best reward.”}: What is with Allah is different from what is with humans, you think of what is with humans according to human standards, but what is with Allah (swt) is according to His (swt) standards

[1] Musanaf ibn Abi Shaybah: Chapter of Faith, Hadith No. 30351.

[2] Al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer of Tabarani: Section of the Hadiths narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas, Hadith No. 11047.

[3] Sunan ibn Majah: Chapter of Fasting, Hadith No.1690.

O Lord, give us what you promised us of bliss and pleasure, and what the messengers brought and told us of good tidings after you forgive us our sins and atone for our misdeeds on the Day of Resurrection, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection because, O Lord, you are the doer of what you want, you are the only One Who does not break the promise. This supplication came after thought and remembrance of Allah (swt).

Who is the caller for faith? He is the Messenger of Allah (saws), who came and guided us to our Lord and told us about Him, so the first word they said:

رَّبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمْ{Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,}: This call that the Prophet (saws) made since that time has reached us by the Qur’an and the Sunnah and the guidance of our Prophet (saws) to us, and also the call of faith is embedded in our nature before the revelation of the Messengers as Allah (swt) says:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنِي آدَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتَ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُواْ بَلَى شَهِدْنَا أَن تَقُولُواْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَذَا غَافِلِينَ

{And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware.} (Al-A’raaf: 172)

فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا{Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds}: So what the believer is waiting? The Prophet (saws) said:

“All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who are given to repentance.” [1]

Habib bin Al-Harith came to the Prophet (saws) and said:

“O Messenger of Allah! I am a man who repeats the sin. The Prophet (saws) said: “So repent to Allah, O Habib.” He said: “O Messenger of Allah, I repent and then return.” He said: “Whenever you sin, you must repent.” He said: “O Messenger of Allah, then my sins will multiply.” He said: “Allah’s forgiveness is greater than Your sins, O Habib bin Al-Harith” [2]

Repentance is a call to reform, and a repeated call to stop making mistakes. When we say:

رَّبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا {Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed.}: The first thing comes to this person’s mind after all this giving from Allah (swt) is to ask Allah (swt) for forgiveness. There is a difference between forgiveness of sins and removing the misdeeds, as there is a difference between sins and misdeeds. Sin is to be culpable towards your Lord and the misdeed is to offend others in a way that violates the law of Allah (swt). Forgiveness of sin requires seeking forgiveness from Allah (swt). As for expiation the evil deeds require returning rights to their owners with seeking forgiveness. So there are two main issues: forgiveness of sins, and atonement of misdeeds.

وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الأبْرَارِ {and cause us to die with the righteous.}: The righteous are those who have fulfilled their covenant and are honest with their Lord, we ask Allah (swt) to gather us in their group.

[1] Al-Mustadrak ‘Ala As-Sahihayn: Vol.4, Page.4, Hadith No.7617.

[2] Majma’ az-Zawaid wa Manba’ al-Fawaid: Vol.10, Hadith No.17531.

disgraced is the one who is destined for Hell because this disobedient person was a polytheist or atheist person so he is doomed to Hellfire.

وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ {for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.}: Those who wrong people and wrong themselves, will have no one to help them on the Day of Resurrection.

So the remembrance of Allah (swt) accompanies thought, and this indicates that the first person who must reach the sciences, and the first who must be an inventor, discoverer, civilized and scientific, is the believer; Because he is required to do so by the Holy Qur’an.

الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ {Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides}: In explaining this verse, it was said that what is meant by (remember Allah) is the prayer, for no one can be exempted from it under any circumstances; if you cannot perform it standing, then pray while sitting, and if you cannot perform it sitting, then pray lying down. The prayer is the remembrance because you mention Allah (swt) in it, on the other hand, remembrance is the opposite of forgetting, meaning that I always keep remembering Allah (swt) in my mind, as he (saws) said:

“To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then He sees you.”[1]

Hence, Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah (swt) may mean:

– The prayer.

– Remembering Allah through mentioning His glorification and praising Him.

– Reading the Holy Qur’an; Because it is a remembrance of Allah (swt):

وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ

{And indeed, it is a remembrance for you and your people, and you [all] are going to be questioned.} (Az-Zukhruf: 44)

وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ {and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth}: Allah (swt) links the remembrance with giving thought, He (swt) wants you to use your mind and convince people with faith, so faith is not by force. Everything that terrorist and extremist takfirist movements do is outside all the provisions of religion; Because Islam is entered by a choice and a rational debate, and this is what these verses indicate, so we have to tell people about Islam, not to force them to convert to Islam, as the Holy Qur’an says and asks us to do.

رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ {Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You}: These believers use their minds and thoughts along with the remembrance, and they give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, so their reaction is:

رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً {Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly}: This harmony in the earth and the heavens were not created by Allah (swt) aimlessly.

سُبْحَانَكَ {exalted are You}: The first word to be used in the remembrance after giving thought is: (exalted are you). It means to exalt Allah (swt) from having anything similar to Him in His Essence, His Attributes, or His Actions. In every great matter, Allah (swt) begins with His saying: {Exalted is He}, as when He (swt) talks about the miracle of Israa Trip:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ

{Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.} (Al-Israa: 1)

(Exalted is He) here means there is nothing like Him, with His power and strength that took His servant this Trip. Likewise, He (swt) said about the issue of creation:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

{Exalted is He who created all pairs {- from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know.} (Yaseen: 36)

Additionally, the first word that the one who remembers and reflects on says is: {exalted are you}, meaning I purify You, O Lord, from having an equal or partner in this creation.

فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ {then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.}: The first thing that a person senses after recognizing the great blessings of Allah (swt) is his feeling of culpability, since no matter how much he is thanks Allah (swt) and how much he does, he always feels culpability.

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Chapter of faith, Section of the Question of Jibril about Islam, Iman and Ihsan, Hadith No. 50.

‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked: Tell us the most amazing thing you saw from the Messenger of Allah (saws)! She remained silent and then said: “When it was one of the nights, he (saws) said:

“O Aisha, leave me to worship my Lord tonight.”

I said: By Allah, I love your closeness and what makes you happy. She said: “Then he purified himself (performed ablution) and went to pray, he wept and cried so much that his beard was wet. She said: Then he kept weeping until the ground became wet. When Bilal came to call to prayer and saw him crying, he said to him (saws):

“O Messenger of Allah, why are you crying, and Allah has forgiven you for what preceded and what is late? ” He (saws) said:

“Should I not be a grateful slave, for a verse was revealed to me tonight, and woe to the one who recites it and does not think about it:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ

{Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.}”[1]

So we have to calmly and deliberately reflect on it, and meditate on it as the Prophet (saws) did.

وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ {and the alternation of the night and the day}:

That is, between the succession of night and day, darkness in the night and light in the day. If a person looks at Allah’s (swt) creation and contemplates the movement of the sun and moon and the succession of night and day and looks at what is in the heavens and what is on the earth, then his mind must point to the Creator of this universe. A person cannot mentally believe that an event takes place in the universe without an actor. We are talking now not only from a religious point of view, but from a mental point of view as well. Suppose you were in the desert and you had no water or food, and while you were sitting, there was a table with delicious food and water in front of you, so the first thing you think of is who offered you this table! And where did it come from? How about a person who sees in the morning and evening the sun, moon, air, water, clouds and galaxies and sees all these verses that indicate the existence of Allah (swt) and then says that they happened by chance!!!

Another example, if you are in a school where there is a group of students and the teacher found a wallet with money in it, he took it and asked the students who is this wallet for? So a student got up and said: “This is mine”, then it has become his property until someone else claims that it is his. This is in the simple human affairs, while you see the heavens and the earth and you see what has been prepared for you of air, water, land, plants, animals and all the elements of life and you see the sun and the moon and the succession of night and day, then you say after that there is no one who created it!! This saying is not rationally correct, for the upright mind says: There must be a Creator for all of this, and as long as no one disputes with him over the kingship, then it is Allah’s (swt) creation. So this is from a mental point of view, and every debate with atheists about the existence of Allah (swt) is based on mental aspect. However, when we say that there is no contradiction between reason and transmission, because transmission, which is the Holly Qur’an and what came from the Prophet (saws), only came with knowledge, so the first verses that were revealed:

ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ (3) ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ (4) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ

{Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous (3) Who taught by the pen (4) Taught man that which he knew not.} (Al-Qalam: 3-5)

And Allah (swt) did not command you to impose faith by force on people. Rather, He (swt) asked you to argue intellectually and scientifically. He (swt) said:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ {Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding}: The more a person increases in knowledge, the more his faith increases, because he reaches the absolute truth, which is that Allah is the Creator. That is why the Prophet said:

“..woe to the one who recites it and does not think about it..”

[1] Sahih Ibn Hayan: Chapter of Hearts soothing, Section of Repentance, Hadith No. 620.

After all that Allah (swt) mentioned about the Battle of Uhud, the disobeying of the archers, the martyrdom, the actions and plots of the Jews, their cunning, misguidance, and hatred, Allah (swt) wants to teach mankind that nothing happens in His kingdom except by His command, and it is a general law:

وَلِلّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ{And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth}: He (swt) is the Owner of everything and able to do all things. Therefore the believer is satisfied and the polytheist, the unbeliever and the ungrateful are warned that this is the property of Allah (swt) and His power, He owns everything, and nothing is beyond his power.

وَاللّهُ عَلَىَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ {and Allah is over all things competent.}: He owns and decrees, He is the only One Who does what He wills:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاء وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاء وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاء وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاء بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَىَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

{Say, “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.} (Aal-Imran: 26)

Allah (swt) owns who owns, for the kings of the earth think they have the absolute ownership, whereas Allah (swt) is the Owner of the Sovereignty, he owns the heavens and the earth, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth.

As the Jews and the polytheists did in the Battle of Uhud, they demoralized the people and fled the battle while they were happy, and they like to be praised for doing so and so, but in reality, they did not do anything.

فَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّهُمْ بِمَفَازَةٍ مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ {never think them [to be] in safety from the punishment, and for them is a painful punishment.}: Because Allah (swt) is All-Knowing of his servants, of their little things of deeds. There is a common thing that a person likes to be praised for what he does, and this encourages him to do good. But if he harbors evil and wants to be praised for what he has not done, and does not seek from his actions anything but praise and famous in society, then this matter is not approved by Islam at all.

This is a rebuke to the Jews in al-Medina at the time of the Prophet (saws) and in every time, for Allah (swt) took the covenant from those who were given the Scripture that they must make it clear to the people and do not conceal the truth but they threw it behind their backs.

وَاشْتَرَوْاْ بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً {exchanged it for a small price}: The whole worldly life is a small price for this denial and renunciation of what came in the Book of Allah (swt).

لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ {You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves}: The test with money is in two cases; either you have money and it goes, and you become poor, or you are rich, but you consume money in a way that angers Allah (swt); you do not give it to the poor, orphans, or those in need, and spend it in disobedience, so it is a test. Allah (swt) says:

فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ

{And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, “My Lord has honored me.} (Al-Fajr: 15)

So he thinks that honoring will be by money:

وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ

{But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, “My Lord has humiliated me.} (Al-Fajr: 16)

He thinks having money is evidence of dignity and poverty is evidence of humiliation, so Allah (swt) says afterwards:

{كَلاَّ}

{No}.

Neither money is a sign of dignity, nor poverty is a sign of humiliation, and listen to the test of money:

كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ (17) وَلَا تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ (18) وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا (19) وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا

{No! But you do not honor the orphan. (17)   And you do not encourage one another to feed the poor. (18)   And you consume inheritance, devouring [it] altogether. (19)   And you love wealth with immense love.} (Al-Fajr: 17-20)

This test is in regard of money, but what about the test of souls! who cannot get sick, let him do so, who can prevent any disease or any germ or bacteria from infecting him?! No one at all.

وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ أَذًى كَثِيرًا {And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse.}: Abuse here is different from harm; harm causes pain and wound on a person, but the abuse does not last, as Allah (swt) says:

لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلاَّ أَذًى

{They will not harm you except for [some] abuse} (Aal-Imran: 111)

Abasement from polytheists and people of Scripture; the Jews who were trying to harm the believers at that time by words and deeds.

This is a common matter, as the call of the Prophets were always confronted by the enemies of values ​​and morals and those who were whispered to by Satan, especially the Jews. The remedy for all these trials in money and lives is:

وَإِن تَصْبِرُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ But if you are patient and fear Allah}: You have to be patient first, fear of Allah (swt) second. There are two kinds of patience, patience for troubles, and patience for temptations, so patience is a translation of the true faith of the believers. When a person is patient, then he is a true believer; because he knows that nothing can harm or benefit, give or prevent, abuse or exalt, dignify or humiliate, except Allah (swt), so he is patient with Allah’s decree, along with fearing Allah (swt) which is the combination of all good. So if a person apply what is in Allah’s book, satisfied with what Allah (swt) has apportioned to him, and gets ready to meet His (swt) face, then he fulfills the elements of fearing Allah as Allah (swt) wanted.

فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الأُمُورِ {that is of the matters [worthy] of determination}: Determination is the combined forces of taking action. It is not easy to gather all your strength for the sake of patience; because patience is a very difficult matter, and there are many people who claim patience, but the truth is they are dismayed at the first shock. The Prophet (saws) said:

“Patience is only at the first shock”[1]

[1] Sahih Al-Bukhari: Chapter of Burials, Section of Visiting the Graveyards, Hadith No. 1223.

This great verse is a general divine law that no human being, neither the messengers, nor any of the creation. Allah (swt) addressed the most honorable of His creation by saying:

إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ

{Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.} (Az-Zumar: 30)

And He (swt) says:

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ (26) وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ (27) فَبِأَيِّ آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

{Everyone upon the earth will perish, (26) And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor. (27) So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?} (Ar-Rahmaan: 26-28)

And He (swt) says:

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ الله كِتَابًا مُّؤَجَّلاً

{And it is not [possible] for one to die except by permission of Allah at a decree determined. And whoever desires the reward of this world – We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter – We will give him thereof. And we will reward the grateful.} (Aal-Imran: 145)

So this noble verse presents this general law that humanity has not been able until this moment and will not be able until Allah (swt) inherits the earth and those who are on it, to delay for a moment a person’s death whose time has come:

وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ فَإِذَا جَاء أَجَلُهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلاَ يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

{And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].} (Al-A’raaf: 34)

So do not look at the worldly life with one eye, for many people think that Allah (swt) created creation for this world only, so they see part of this life not the whole, for that, Allah (swt) wanted to make it clear to His creation the law that no one can leave behind, which is death.

When Imam Ali (may Allah honor his face) used to come to  people to offer them condolences on the death of a dear to their hearts he was saying:

“Poor son of Adam, his term is written, his faults are hidden, his work is preserved, the bug afflicts him, the sweat stinks him. I wonder how could he rejoices in this world while his day destroys his month, and his month destroys his year, and his year destroys his life, how can he rejoice in this world whose life leads him his death, and his age leads him to his term?”

وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ {you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection}: You do not ask for a reward for your work in this worldly life, rather the reward that you will receive is on the Day of Resurrection, and this reward is endless, whereas the reward in this world is short; because the worldly life has an end, so when Allah (swt) says:

وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ {you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection}: This is continuous without end, it is the eternal and infinite reward of Paradise.

فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ {So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire].}: As soon as you are drawn away from the Fire you won, so what if you entered Paradise! The law that people should not lose sight of:

وَما الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ {And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.}: In this regards, the Prophet (saws) said:

“What do I have to do with the world! I am not in the world but as a rider seeking shade under a tree, then he catches his breath and leaves it.”[1]

A person in this world cannot maintain health, youth, money, or life because he is changeable. Today you are strong and tomorrow you are weak, today you are in a good health and tomorrow you are sick, today you are rich and tomorrow you are poor, today you are alive and tomorrow you are dead, so you are in a world of changes. Therefore, the world is the enjoyment of delusion, man is deceived by it, and Allah (swt) called it this life a lower life, meaning that there is a higher life and it is the Hereafter. The lower life will end, but the higher life is the enduring life.

وَمَا هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

{And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter – that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.} (Al-Ankaboot: 64)

[1] Sunan at-Tirmidhi: Chapter of asceticism, Hadith No. 2377.

Allah (swt) addresses the Prophet (saws) telling him that he will be exposed to denial by the skeptics, the hypocrites, the Jews and the polytheists, then:

فَقَدْ كُذِّبَ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ {so were messengers denied before you,}: The path of calling to Allah (swt) is full of difficulties, so patience is required.

بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ {clear proofs}: Clear evidences and miracles that prove the sincerity of their statement about Allah (swt).

وَالْكِتَابِ الْمُنِيرِ {the enlightening Scripture.}: It means the Torah and the Gospel.

All these verses address the Jews in Medina. Taking into consideration that when the Prophet (saws) expelled them, that was because of their aggression, cunning, oppression, and violation of covenants, while when he (saws) came to Madinah, he signed covenants with them and laid down a constitution for the city that stipulates that Muslims and the people of the Scripture are as one hand over those who oppose them. He (saws) wrote a constitution which humanity is proud of its respect for others, yet they broke the constitution and the covenants, so these successive verses about the Jews:

الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَهِدَ إِلَيْنَا أَلاَّ نُؤْمِنَ لِرَسُولٍ حَتَّىَ يَأْتِيَنَا بِقُرْبَانٍ تَأْكُلُهُ النَّارُ {They are] those who said, “Indeed, Allah has taken our promise not to believe any messenger until he brings us an offering which fire [from heaven] will consume.”}: These are false arguments and procrastination in believing, as they said: Allah promised us that we will not believe in any Messenger until he brings an offering that will be consumed by fire. The offering is what draws one closer to Allah (swt), and if the fire consumes the offering, then it is true that he is a messenger from Allah (swt).

قُلْ قَدْ جَاءكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِي بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَبِالَّذِي قُلْتُمْ فَلِمَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ {Say, “There have already come to you messengers before me with clear proofs and [even] that of which you speak. So why did you kill them, if you should be truthful?”}: This answer is for the Prophet (saws) to tell to the Jews.

Many Prophets were sent to the nation of Children of Israel, among them: Moses, David, Solomon, Zakaria, Yahya and Issa (peace be upon them), but the people of Children of Israel used to kill the prophets and plot and invent lies against them. Allah (swt) says to the Prophet (saws) to tell them that All the Prophets who came before him (saws) brought the clear proofs and miracles that indicate the truthfulness of their messages from Allah (swt), in addition to:

وَبِالَّذِي قُلْتُمْ {and [even] that of which you speak}: The offering that will be consumed by fire, then why:

فَلِمَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ {So why did you kill them, if you should be truthful?”}: So that, it is not a matter of proofs. As well-known every Messenger came with a tangible miracle, for instance, Moses (PBUH) used to hit the stone with his stick, and water would gush out from it, and he struck the sea with his stick, so it split, and he threw his stick, so it was a clear snake, and he pulled out his hand and it was white. As for Issa (Jesus) (PBUH) his miracles are that he used to heal who was born blind, and the leper, and used to bring the dead to life by Allah’s will. Abraham (PBUH) entered Fire and it was cool and peaceful, Noah’s (PBUH) miracle was the ark.

All of these miracles were according to the maturity of the human mind. But the Holy Qur’an is a miracle which will last forever, no matter how the human mind develops, and it is related to reason, thought, persuasion, and argument in all the verses.

After that Allah (swt) continues and comforts the heart of the Prophet (saws) with one of the greatest verses, saying:

ذَلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ {That is for what your hands have put forth}: The punishment of Burning Fire is not without a reason, but it is the result of what your hands have done of cunning, crimes, killing of the prophets, and denial of the message of the Prophet (saws).

وَأَنَّ اللّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلاَّمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ {and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants.”}: Allah (swt) is the absolute justice:

وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ

{And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, we will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.} (Al-Anbiyaa: 47)

Allah (swt) does not wrong the people at all. In this verse the Arabic word of {ever unjust} comes in the intensive form of the adjective of unjust because after it comes:

{to his servants} and not for one servant, meaning the intensive expression came to include all the servants on the face of the earth. Hence, when you want to interpret the Holy Qur’an, you must be acknowledgeable with the secrets of the Arabic language in which Allah’s words were revealed.

The reason of revelation:

It is narrated by Ikrimah, that when the Prophet (saws) sent Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to Finhas, the Jew, to seek help he (saws) wrote to him and said to Abu Bakr:

“Do not issue a ruling for me until you return to me.”

When Finhas read the book, he said: May your Lord need money now? Abu Bakr said: “I would arm him with the sword, then I remembered the saying of the Prophet (saws). Then this verse was revealed: {Allah has certainly heard the statement of those [Jews] who said, “Indeed, Allah is poor, while we are rich}

سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ وَقَتْلَهُم الأَنبِيَاء بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَنَقُولُ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ { We will record what they said and their killing of the prophets without right and will say, “Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire.}: This is a response that gives good tidings to the Prophet (saws) and strengthens the believers, it is a threat to which the souls of man tremble.

This speech is directed to the Jews who were in Medina, who conspired, who deceived, and who tried to make people suspected the message of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) and the Holy Qur’an.